


A bit of a realization

by EpiKatt



Series: Snippets of Jack and Ianto [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, Episode: s01e06 Countrycide, FYI, Gore, Hospitalization, Jack and his usual self deprecating thoughts, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shock, Torture, sort of canon compliant, the scene with the cannibals is a bit much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-29 17:43:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20800421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpiKatt/pseuds/EpiKatt
Summary: A bit of a darker spin of countrycide. More torture for our boy Ianto.





	A bit of a realization

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: the beginning of this is definitely brutal so.. be careful.
> 
> By the time I'm posting this, it will be my birthday! I fought to get this done before my birthday and I managed just in time. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this, have a good time.

"Be ready to run," He instructs quietly, glancing at Tosh nervously. She only jerks her head in a vague nod before they turn back to the man.

Ianto sees the look in his eyes as the man sniffs Tosh's neck, sees red after she shudders in fear. The moment he gets his attention he feels a grim satisfaction and plasters on a smile, feeling a vindictive thrill of victory at the sight of confusion in the other's eyes before he thrusts his head forward with a slightly discernible crunch.

"Tosh, run!" He gets out, world spinning around him as he's punched in the stomach and immediately crumples to the ground. Even then, he feels relieved, knowing Tosh got away. 

It's only around five minutes before his enemy reappears, a sneer on his face. Ianto knows instantly that Tosh got away. He grins a bloody grin, feeling only a little hysterical. 

"Since we've just got you, we'll have to make you extra tender, don't we?" The cannibal asks, turning toward the woman behind him for encouragement. She only grins and shakes her head erratically. 

Ianto is roughly manhandled up, easily dragged across the room and looping his tied wrists over a wooden beam causing him to hang, toes just barely brushing the ground. It was already getting hard to breathe. Ianto swallowed, the reality of the situation finally setting in once he realized Jack wasn't going to burst in and save the day. He had to endure this for however long. He cast a distracted thought toward his ruined suit, saddened by it.

Sweat trickled down his face, slightly itchy. The man gave a light smack on the face before leaving and coming back with a bat and a feral smile on his face. This man wanted revenge, and he had the means to take it.

Ianto eyed the bat nervously, eyes wide, muscles tensing and heartbeat speeding. 

As the man continued to get closer, Ianto felt the fear coming on in waves, bile coming up his throat while the heat was making him even more dizzy. Why was it so bloody hot in here anyway? That was his last conscious thought before he heard the whistle of the bat and the dull crunch as it impacted with his ribs. He let out a sharp cry, voice breaking at its pitch.

He faintly heard laughing and soon the bat hit his shoulder, his ribs thrice more, then his legs twice. By the time the man let up, his vision was gray and he could only drag in weak little gasps. He didn't even realize his wrists were being brought back over the beam before he collapsed onto the ground, unable to support his weight and letting out another breathless whine.

"I'll be back soon. Don't want you to die yet, especially with such nice skin. That's what's next."

Ianto shivered on the ground, suddenly cold and pain soaking into his limbs. All he could think about were his missed opportunities with Jack. Lisa was gone, she wouldn't be coming back. He knew that. But still he refused to accept his growing attachment to Jack. Despite Jack's flirting and undying attempts, they haven't shagged and Ianto hasn't regretted anything more in his life in this moment.

Shapes were beginning to blur around him, colors melting. The fear was dulling, but he slowly decided it was from shock. The pain kept on thrumming with each sluggish heartbeat. He closed his eyes for a moment and was surprised to see when he opened them he was on a table, wrists and ankles strapped down. 

By then the shock had worn off and it was just pain, hot, bitter, acid pain and the fear coursing through his veins. The man was back, standing over him with a knife, one akin to skinning fish. Ianto's heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears, feel it in his almost-numb toes. Taste it on his bloody tongue.

The moment the blade touched the skin of his arm he froze, mind overwhelmed with so much fear it just stopped. Only for a few moments though, because soon enough Ianto was trying his hardest to suppress screams of pain as the skin was being slowly and painfully cut off. It felt like hours before the pain dulled from red-hot to painfully throbbing and he cracked his blurry eyes open to faintly see a strip of his skin tossed onto a plate. He felt sick, felt it rising up his throat and could only turn his head to the side and throw it up over the side of the table, ribs screaming in protest at all of this. Soon he set his head back upright, heaving and gasping desperately for breath his ribs would not let his lungs suck in. 

Soon, the man came back for the other arm and repeated the process.

Quickly enough, his skin was tossed onto the same plate with a sickening slap. At this point, Ianto was crying, unable to help himself. It was right before his leg was going to be cut into that they all heard a noise outside. Suddenly everyone froze. It took seconds for them to have their guns and storm outside, ready for more.

Ianto was slowly bleeding onto the table, blood trickling from his lips and arms.

He gazed up at the ceiling, noticing how it was spinning around him and how he was hardly breathing save for the occasional shuddering gasp his brain kickstarted him into taking.

There were several very sudden and very loud gunshots outside before silence. Ianto decided this was it, he was going to die. Then there were footsteps, very hurried footsteps sounding vaguely familiar to a Captain Jack Harkness. He cracked his eyes open, barely able to see the silhouette that was his boss.

"Oh  _ fuck, Ianto,  _ Owen! Get in here right now!" Jack snarls, racing toward Ianto and taking in the young man's injuries with wide eyes. Owen skidded in beside him and cursed quietly. 

"Bloody hell, he needs a hospital, badly. Those wounds.. let's just say we need to get him out.  _ Now,"  _ Owen snaps, snapping Jack out of his own quietly simmering panic. He quickly nods and picks up the barely conscious Ianto, earning a weak whine, body shivering violently in his arms.

"I think there may be internal bleeding, but hard to tell," Owen observes, keeping pace with Jack to the SUV where Gwen and Tosh were tying up the cannibals and about to put them in the back.

Jack felt only fury upon looking at them and pulls out his Webley, shooting all of them point blank in the head as he strode past them. Owen and Tosh didn't wince whereas Gwen gave him an affronted look.

Setting Ianto carefully in the back, he ordered Owen and Tosh to sit with the younger man while Gwen rode up front with him to the hospital. Nobody argued. Jack tried not to let his panic at the potential of losing Ianto show, but knew he was failing at Gwen's questioning look. 

"Owen, where's the nearest hospital?"

"About twenty minutes."

"Then that's where we're heading," He says, full of false cheer and gunning it. Tosh, ever so helpful, called the police and left an anonymous tip.

Finally,  _ finally,  _ they're at the hospital with Jack racing ahead, demanding help and shouting that he's Torchwood and that he "doesn't give a fuck about protocol."

It isn't long for them to take Ianto and cart him to the ICU. By this time, Ianto was hardly breathing and had passed out right after they'd gotten in the SUV.

A nurse quietly asked if they needed any more help and Jack immediately showed the poor nurse Gwen and Tosh. The three of them went to a separate room while Owen and Jack waited in the correct waiting room.

It was a whole before either spoke, not sure who wanted to break the silence first. "Was it a good idea to bring him here?" Jack asks quietly, unsure.

"If we'd tried taking him to Cardiff, he wouldn't have made it. Jack, he'll be fine here. We'll have him transferred once he's well enough."

Jack wondered why the medic was sympathetic, but realized he probably just didn't want an angry boss. The silence starts again and stretches.

It isn't too long before Tosh returns, sitting beside Owen and leaning toward him tiredly, falling asleep almost immediately. Owen didn't seem to mind. It was a while longer before Gwen returned and she sat on Jack's side, leaning back and closing her eyes, quickly falling asleep too. Soon Jack even heard Owen snoring. He could only smile tiredly.

Jack was too full of energy to rest, scared for Ianto, angry at the cannibals and upset because he was stupid. When Tosh said Ianto was in trouble, he didn't believe her and said he'd be fine a few more minutes. Never in his life had Jack been more angry at himself.  _ Never again,  _ he promised lamely.

___

It's several hours, practically the next day when Ianto is stable enough for them to visit. The doctor quietly tells them he has four broken ribs, a broken ankle and light internal bleeding along with patches of akin cut off his arms. Jack was shaking slightly in anger, in impatience to see Ianto. Nothing.. nothing had happened between them, not yet at least, but Jack was hopeful and feelings were starting to develop, pesky things. 

Jack barged into Ianto's room with Tosh, Owen and Gwen hesitantly behind him. He nearly trips at the sight of Ianto's prone body and swallows roughly. This was all his fault.

He fell into the chair with a huff and turns to the sleeping man, itching to hold his hand but not in front of the others. "I think we should.. head back to the Hub, make sure nothing happens," Tosh says carefully, not wanting to make Jack snap. 

"Yeah, sure. Be careful," He says distractedly. For once he didn't tell them to head home.

"Can we go home?" Gwen asks, crossing her arms.

"If you'd like," He huffs, turning toward her sharply.

She blinks and quickly nods, hastily walking out with the rest of them. 

Jack turns back to Ianto and pulls the other man's hand up, careful of the bandages. He kisses the man's knuckles gently and silently wills him to wake up. To request forgiveness.

He rests there for a few hours, back muscles cramping. At this point it wasn't just the fact that he had growing feelings for Ianto, but because it was a member of  _ his  _ team that had almost been killed. The fact that he almost lost another person. He's not sure he's quite ready for another loss, silently sure he'll never be ready.

There's a quiet huff beside him and he hurriedly glances over to see Ianto's eyes trying to open. He smiles faintly and waits patiently. It's another few moments before Ianto focuses his blurry blue eyes onto Jack.

"Jack?" He croaks, blinking at him. His body felt heavy, morphine he guessed.

"I'm here," Jack assures, leaning forward and kissing Ianto's knuckles again. "Don't worry," He murmurs.

Ianto sighs and relaxes just slightly, somehow relieved. Jack feels happy and uncomfortable by this.

"Glad you're here. Glad you saved me. Didn't like it," Ianto says roughly, words slurring together.

Jack rubs his thumb against Ianto's knuckles soothingly. "It was really no problem. I was more concerned about you, to be honest," He mutters. 

"I would love to go on a date," Ianto says suddenly. Jack's brain stutters before he realizes what Ianto said.

"What?"

"I had a bit of time to think while I thought I was dying. I want to go on a date. Let's get a dinner and movie," Ianto suggests, eyes clearer than before. 

"I… Sure. Where do you want to eat?" Jack asks hesitantly. 

"I'll let you decide, as long as you tell me the outfit I should wear beforehand."

Jack still felt dumbfounded, in all of these scenarios, Jack always thought he'd be the one asking, and not in this position. He couldn't help but be a little proud Ianto bad made the first move though.

"Of course. No problem," He agrees. Noticing Ianto's drooping eyes, he smiles again and leans forward to kiss his forehead and putting Ianto's hand back down.

"Go back to sleep. I'll still be here," Jack murmurs, rubbing Ianto's forehead gently.

Ianto just hums and falls back to sleep with a faint smile.

Jack was happy to see what happened next.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy it? Leave a kudos or comment, (dont know what to say? Say happy birthday or just straight up bread)  
I hope you liked the angst, even I felt a little nauseous writing it.


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